Crafts at Château de Losse: the stained-glass windows of the Grand Logis 🪟

Stained glass window in the office, Losse coat of arms

Stained glass staircase banister on banister

Stained glass window main staircase

Detail of the stained glass window of the Château de Losse

A story that spans the centuries

Heir to the Middle Ages through its decorative and symbolic function, child of the Renaissance through its search for beauty and harmony, the art of stained glass has a rich history spanning more than nine centuries.

In the 16th century, Jean II de Losse undertook major works: he modernized the castle's defenses while integrating decorative elements typical of the Renaissance, notably through the stained glass windows of the Grand Logis.

The Renaissance of Stained Glass

It was during this period that the art of stained glass evolved and fully took part in this movement of refinement:

💫 Master glassmakers abandoned the bright red and blue of Gothic for softer, more luminous hues.

🌠 Biblical scenes give way to mythological scenes and the lines become finer, the composition more structured and even symmetrical.

🖌 Artisans now paint directly onto the glass to create more nuanced results. They thus become true artists, signing their works just like painters.

🔨 Manufacturing secrets

Beneath their apparent fragility, stained-glass windows conceal a technique of astonishing precision. During the Renaissance, the expertise of master glassmakers was perfected to achieve unprecedented finesse.

1. Blowing the glass

The glass is blown with a cane to form a long cylinder, then split and unrolled while hot. Artisans use metal oxides to color the material: copper for red, cobalt for blue, manganese for purple, and iron for green and brown tones. Each workshop jealously guards its formulas—a true alchemist's secret.

2. Paint the light

A major innovation of the Renaissance: glass painting . Craftsmen applied colored enamels (glass powders and pigments) directly to the plates before firing. This allowed them to add shadows, gradients, and expressions—in short, a pictorial dimension that brought stained glass closer to painting.

3. Lead assembly

The glass pieces are then set in a network of lead rods soldered with tin. This flexible skeleton makes it possible to compose complex scenes, while allowing light to filter through accurately.

4. Leading and sealing

Once assembled, the stained glass window is sealed in the stone with a waterproof sealant. At this moment, daylight becomes the final brushstroke: it is what brings the work to life.

And when the sun shines through them, the castle walls are adorned with their soft and refined colors ✨